Dress code violation
Iranian climber is enthusiastically received in Tehran – but the concern remains great
Competitive climber Elnaz Rekabi from Iran gives an interview after arriving at Tehran Airport
© DPA
Iranian climber Elnas Rekabi, who did not wear a headscarf at a competition, is back in Tehran and is being greeted enthusiastically, as pictures on social media show. There are doubts about her official apology.
It was like a heroine returning: after Iranian rock climber Elnas Rekabi landed at Tehran Airport, she was greeted with applause from a larger crowd. Numerous images on social media showed how people cheered her at the exit of the airport building. The videos could not initially be independently verified.
The 33-year-old athlete caused a stir in the final of the Asian Championships in Seoul because she competed without a headscarf. Islamic clothing is compulsory for female athletes in the Iranian national team. Her action was seen by many as solidarity with anti-system protests in Iran. After that she suddenly disappeared.
What happened in Seoul is in the dark
According to media reports, Rekabi’s team left the hotel in Seoul on Monday morning. It is not known what happened to her first. Rekabi’s passport and mobile phone are said to have been confiscated, and there was also talk of an arrest. The Iranian embassy in Seoul categorically rejected such reports.
The 33-year-old athlete then surprisingly declared on the online service Instagram on Tuesday that she apologized “for all the unrest that I caused”. The fact that she appeared without a hat at the Asian championships on Sunday was “unintentional”. Rather, it was due to the fact that it was her turn earlier than planned.
It is not known how the declaration came about. Unconfirmed reports said Iranian officials in South Korea had put pressure on them. The Persian-language BBC broadcaster, citing anonymous sources, reported that friends were unable to contact the 33-year-old and that her team left the Seoul hotel two days earlier than planned.
Allegedly she was ‘tricked’
The website Iran Wire reported that the head of the Iranian Climbing Association “tricked” Rekabi into luring her into the Iranian embassy in Seoul. The head of the association promised her a safe return to Iran if she gave him her passport and smartphone.
In a statement, the Iranian embassy in Seoul rejected “all forgeries, fake news and disinformation” about Rekabi’s situation. The athlete left South Korea on Tuesday with her team, it said.
According to Iran Wire, Rekabi’s Instagram statement is “similar to the forced confessions common in the Islamic Republic.” Activists accuse Iran of forcing people to make statements of repentance that are published on television or in online media.
Mass protests in Iran have been going on for weeks
Mass protests in Iran have continued for weeks after young Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini died in Tehran on September 16 after being arrested by the notorious vice squad. She is said to have not worn her headscarf as prescribed.
Iran’s state-run news agency Fars asked in an editorial on Tuesday why “Western, Zionist and Saudi Arabian” media did not pay attention to the achievements of Iranian sportswomen who wore headscarves, but “highlighted the performance of a girl with unconventional behavior”.
Rekabi is the second prominent Iranian athlete to compete without wearing a headscarf. The first was boxer Sadaf Chadem, who stepped into the ring with her hair uncovered in 2019. Chadem did not return to Iran, she lives in exile in France.